The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (2024)

The Hungry Bluebird » Recipes » Pickling » Bread and Butter Pickles

By: Author Kelly Wildenhaus

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Categories Pickling, Recipes, Side Dishes

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Bread and Butter Pickles, sweet and tangy, my favorite pickle canning recipe to capture summer in a jar. These are the best!

The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (1)

This is the summer I tried my hand at pickling. I love it. I'm hooked. Just opened a jar of the bread and butter pickles I made and oh...my...god. Outrageously good! And I don't talk this way. So why am I? And then Meathead tasted them and he said oh...my...god, these are incredible.

The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (2)

I've always liked bread and butter pickles. Something about the sweet-tart flavor and the onions. I grab a fork and stand at the counter and just eat them out of the jar. No shame and sometimes that's my lunch. I'm not kidding.

The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (3)

These were quite a bit different in preparation than the dill pickles I made earlier this summer. I used the Kirby cucumbers but I sliced them using a mandolin and then chilled them under crushed ice for a few hours. Mandolins kind of freak me out. My mom gave me my dad's and this was the first time I used it. Seeing as my dad sliced off the tip ofhis finger, I was a little bit scared. But I managed with no bloody fingers and it made the slicing of all these cukes go really quickly and they were all uniform insize. Cool.

The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (4)

I guess chilling them under ice keeps them crisp in the jars. It works, my pickles were crunchy, both the cukes and the onions. In terms of flavoring, the brine I used had sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric and crushed red pepper. These pickles are simplyfantastic. Better than any store bought stuff I've tried.

The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (5)

So kids, some day when you have vegetable gardens and are cooking and want to makewhat your momma made, try these pickles. You will love them and hopefully think of me ~Kelly🍴🐦

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The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (7)

Bread and Butter Pickles

Bread and Butter Pickles, sweet and tangy and crunchy, my favorite pickle canning recipe to capture summer in a jar. These are the best!

4.89 from 26 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Chill time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 5 hours hours

Servings: 6 pints

Calories: 629kcal

Author: Kelly Wildenhaus

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pickling cucumbers known as Kirby's, washed and scrubbed, ends trimmed, sliced ¼-inch thick
  • 4 large white onions, sliced
  • cup kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal
  • 5 pieces of garlic, either whole cloves or cut in half
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 3 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons celery seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Instructions

  • Wash and sterilize 6 pint size jars, lids and screw caps, either in boiling water, hot soapy water or the dishwasher. Do not re-use lids and screw caps.

  • In a large nonreactive stockpot, combine sliced cucumbers, onions, salt and garlic. Cover with a flour sack towel and then cover with 2 - 3 inches of crushed ice. Put a lid on and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 12 hours.

  • Prepare a boiling- water canner or large pot of water, bring to a boil.

  • Remove towel and ice and transfer cucumber mixture to a colander and rinse well. Discard garlic pieces.

  • In the same pot, combine sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard seeds, turmeric and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in cucumber mixture from the colander and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat.

  • Pack mixture ofcucumbers and onions into sterilized jars with the liquid brine to about ½ inch from the rim. Wipe jar rims, add lids and screw caps.

  • Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars to clean towel and let rest for 24 hours. You'll hear lovely popping sounds as the jars seal. If after 24 hours you have any jars that didn't seal, put in fridge and use in a couple of weeks.

  • This is the hard part, let the pickles rest for 4 - 5 weeks before opening. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

  • Adapted from BHG CanningSummer 2015
  • A hot water bath is recommended for proper sealing and canning safety. Please refer toUSDA Home Canning Guidelinesfor direction.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pint Calories: 629kcal Carbohydrates: 149g Protein: 4g Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 6311mg Potassium: 666mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 141g Vitamin A: 319IU Vitamin C: 16mg Calcium: 95mg Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe? Please comment, rate it and share! And mention me on Instagram @thehungrybluebird or tag #thehungrybluebird so I can see!

The Best Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe - The Hungry Bluebird (2024)

FAQs

What gives bread and butter pickles their flavor? ›

The key difference between these two types of pickles is their taste. Despite bread and butter pickles using the same cooking method as dill pickles, they use far different spices that make them sweeter. According to Wyse Guide, sugar is added to the bread and butter brine to help alleviate its sharp vinegary taste.

What's the difference between bread and butter pickles and kosher pickles? ›

You might remember them from their trademark crinkle-cut chips in your childhood refrigerator door. The pickling brine calls for a full cup of sugar, putting them in the sweet pickle category, which is the difference between bread and butter pickles and kosher pickles which are more sour.

How long do bread and butter pickles last? ›

Properly canned bread and butter pickles can be stored in a cool, dark place (like a pantry) for up to 1 year. Store opened jars in the fridge and use within 3 months. If you skipped the water bath canning, transfer the cooled jars directly to the fridge and eat within 3 months.

What's the difference between bread and butter chips and pickles? ›

Bread and butter chips are also generally cut in the crinkle-cut design, and tend to be pretty thinly sliced. On the other hand, other types of sweet pickles are often available for purchase as spears, chips, long slices, and even whole.

What makes pickles taste better? ›

The taste of your pickled vegetables can be greatly changed by toasting spices. This is because toasting spices cause the natural oils of a spice to be released, which in turn amplifies the flavors.

What can I add to pickles to make them taste better? ›

Spicing Up Store Bought Pickles
  1. Heat – whole dried peppers, red pepper flakes, cayenne, black pepper corns, prepared horseradish, or hot sauce.
  2. Garlic – jarred minced garlic or garlic powder, stay away from fresh garlic because of the bacteria issues they can cause.

What kind of pickles does McDonald's use? ›

McDonald's uses dill pickles in their burgers including in the Big Mac®.

Why do kosher pickles taste better? ›

Because of the inclusion of garlic and dill as well as natural fermentation, kosher pickles have a unique flavor.

Are bread and butter pickles good for you to eat? ›

Pickles are fat-free and low in calories, but they are also low in most other nutrients, except for sodium. A 100-gram serving of bread and butter pickles contains 457 milligrams of sodium, or nearly 20% of the recommended daily limit. Most pickles are high in sodium, so it is important to limit consumption.

Can you eat too many bread and butter pickles? ›

Eat bread-and-butter pickles in moderation to limit added sugars, and keep an eye out for sodium too—if you already eat out or eat foods high in sodium, a pickle spear or two per day could push you over the limit. Buy fermented pickles for added gut health benefits.

Why are my bread and butter pickles mushy? ›

Using too weak a salt brine or vinegar solution may cause soft or slippery pickles, as can using moldy garlic or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature.

Why are my bread and butter pickles floating? ›

Floating happens to all of us. As long as your jars sealed and headspace is correct your should be ok. Exposed parts of the pickles may become discolored. Take care to pack your jars tightly and eliminate air bubbles before processing.

Are bread and butter pickles sweet or dill? ›

Bread and butter pickles are a type of sweet pickle. These pickles are a true fan favorite, usually sold crinkle-cut into pickle chips.

Are bread and butter pickles good on hamburgers? ›

If you like to keep things traditional, look for bread & butter pickles. They're one of the most popular types of pickles and a classic topping for burgers! These small pickles are sliced crosswise (coin-shaped) instead of lengthwise as spears, so they fit perfectly on top of a beef burger patty.

Why are dill pickles better than sweet pickles? ›

Sweet pickles are higher in calories than dill pickles due to the added sugar. They are also a good source of vitamin K but contain more sugar and less dill than dill pickles. Dill pickles are a popular food item made by pickling cucumbers in vinegar, salt, and dill weed.

What gives the characteristics flavor of pickles? ›

Salt provides a suitable environment for lactic acid bacteria to grow. The lactic acid that they produce gives the pickle the characteristic flavour and preserves the vegetables.

What flavor are bread and butter chips? ›

Description. Mt. Olive Pickles Bread & Butter Chip pickles are a little sweet and little zesty and with a kick. These pickles are so good it will remind you of the pickles your grandma used to make each year.

What do zesty bread and butter pickles taste like? ›

These are sweet with a bit of tartness. Great to add to a variety of sandwiches. They're readily available at most stores and reasonably priced.

What makes rye bread taste like pickles? ›

The sour flavor results from the addition of something with an acidic flavor–usually a sour dough culture or vinegar. When sour dough batter is added to a rye bread dough, the rye bread ends up with a sour flavor caused by the presence of lactic acid in the sour dough.

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